Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Roller Coaster Effect

Like everything else in life parenting twins is filled with ups and downs. Sometimes many in one day and other times you get a stretch of up and a stretch of down... I like to call this the roller coaster effect. One of the most exciting and also the most challenging things about having twins is not being able to predict how things will go. I have tried since the day they were born to predict who will do what first, who will like what, who will not like what, how they will react to certain situations. Oh, and if you think you have figured them out rest assured, they will change roles and you will be struggling to predict once again!

I am sure that many parents of children who are not twins will say, yeah, it's the same for us too. My response, absolutely! I remember with our older child thinking I knew what she would do in a situation an having her do the exact opposite. It's part of parenting. The difference with twins is that they are exactly (within a few minutes) the same age. They go through every developmental milestone together. The power struggles that a parent of multiple children (not twins) might have with sharing or social situations with young children are twice as challenging because while they are able to reason with the older child and then deal with the struggle of the toddler, you have no one to reason with... You cannot enlist your older twin to help you with the younger twin because well... they are the same age!!

The important thing to remember in while in the midst of twin rearing is that it is a special and unique experience for you as the parent. I find that often times when we are barely keeping our heads above water it is hard to notice the little things. The chattering they do together before they can really talk, the sucking each others thumbs as infants, the snuggling together while sleeping, the playing together before kids really play together... these things are so easily missed when we are so focused on making it to the finish line.

I guess the important thing to remember is that we parents of twins are given the simple task of juggling while riding the roller coater and taking snapshots of the truly awesomeness of the twin experience along the way!

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About Me

I am the mother of 3 absolutely amazing children. Right now my entire life is about them, and I expect it will be for at least the next 16 years!
Prior to the twins I was a teacher. I have a BA in Elementary/Special Education & visual arts. I taught for more than 7 years in both public & private schools working mostly with children who had behavioral challenges. I LOVED working with them and although at times I miss it, I wouldn't trade being home with my kids for anything. Right now I am a stay at home mother and have a family child care buisness.